Anjelah Johnson

Anjelah Johnson
Johnson as Bon Qui Qui at the McAllen Convention Center in 2016
Born	Anjelah Nicole Johnson (1982-05-14) May 14, 1982 San Jose, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	actress, comedian
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Manwell Reyes (m. 2011)
Website	www.anjelah.com
Comedy career
Medium	Television, stand-up, film
Genres	Observational comedy

Anjelah Nicole Johnson, also known as Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (born May 14, 1982), is an American actress, comedienne, and former NFL cheerleader. Johnson was a cast member on the series MADtv during its 13th season. Her characters included a Vietnamese nail salon employee and a rude fast food employee turned music star named Bon Qui Qui.^[1]

Career

Johnson moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue a career in comedy, after a friend suggested that she join a joke writing class.^[2] She took improv classes,^[2][3] and quickly began to headline her own shows. Her stand-up routine comprising her impression of a Vietnamese nail salon employee received much attention on YouTube,^[2] and in 2007, Johnson joined the cast of sketch comedy show MADtv as a featured performer. Because of the impending writers strike, Johnson was often given only a few lines in the scripts during her tenure, as the writers had to produce more scripts at a faster pace.^[2] However, her character Bon Qui Qui, a fast food employee who treats customers rudely, which she wrote herself, was received well, and gained a similarly large YouTube following.^[2] In 2008, Johnson was nominated for an ALMA Award for Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series for her work on MADtv.^[4]

Johnson was given her own one-hour Comedy Central special, "Anjelah Johnson: That's How We Do It", in 2009.^[5] She also appeared in the films Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Our Family Wedding, and provided her voice for the live-action adaptation of Marmaduke.^[4] She was also featured on the late night talk show Lopez Tonight, hosted by George Lopez.

Johnson became the "TC Girl", a spokesperson for Mexican restaurant Taco Cabana in 2011.^[6] In 2012, Johnson became the national campaign spokesperson for the "Don't be an S.O.V." campaign led by vRide,^[7] the country's largest van pooling company, which encouraged single commuters (S.O.V.s) to rideshare, carpool, or vanpool.

In 2013, Johnson reprised her role as her MADtv character Bon Qui Qui for a skit released by Alexander Wang. Johnson's second stand-up comedy special entitled Homecoming Show followed and premiered on Netflix. It was filmed in San Jose, California.

In 2015, Johnson's third stand-up special entitled Anjelah Johnson: Not Fancy was released on Netflix on October 1, 2015. It was filmed in southern California.

Personal life

Johnson was born and raised in San Jose, California, in a devout Christian family.^[3] She is of Mexican and Native American descent.^[8] She was a Pop Warner cheerleader from the age of 8 and was active in soccer, softball and track.^[9] She also practiced hip hop and break dancing.^[9] She began acting as a senior in high school and was especially interested in imitating different accents.^[9] She later studied speech communications at De Anza College.^[9][10] She subsequently became a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders after being inducted in 2002.^[9] As a member of the Oakland Raiderettes she was named Rookie of the Year and performed at Super Bowl XXXVII.

Johnson married Group 1 Crew member Manwell Reyes on June 11, 2011 in Half Moon Bay, California.^[11] She says the couple does not want children. They enjoy spending time with their nieces and nephews.^[12]

Filmography

Movie appearances

Television appearances

Discography

Studio albums

As Bon Qui Qui:

Extended plays

As Bon Qui Qui:

• The Come Up (2012) ^[14]

Music videos

As Bon Qui Qui:

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website
• Anjelah Johnson on IMDb
• Anjelah Johnson at AllMusic
• Anjelah Johnson at AllMovie